


The Power

by pinkladyalex



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Harry can read minds, Homophobic Language, Kinda, M/M, PTSD, Suicidal Thoughts, liam has super strength, louis is like whoa crazy, niall has electricity, superhero au, theres a character who is kept in strict isolation for most of his life, zayns an empath and seer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2015-10-29
Packaged: 2018-04-17 14:04:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4669373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkladyalex/pseuds/pinkladyalex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Are you okay?" It's barely a whisper, but the cafeteria has fallen as silent as a graveyard, so it sounds so loud. Louis stares into his eyes before grabbing his hand. </p>
<p>He's not okay. He's never been okay. He hasn't seen his family since he was six years old. He doesn't know who put him in jail or why. Ever since he was six he's been mistreated because he "deserved" it. But he's looking at Harry now, who seems to understand, to see past what he's been told by everyone else. He's here with Harry who can read his mind but does his best not to. He's with Harry with the curly hair and the green eyes and a brilliant smile. He smiles slightly. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <i>I think I am now.</i></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Or Harry Styles is in his last year at London’s University for the Exceptionally Gifted Mutants when Louis Tomlinson joins his class.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Before

  
Louis doesn't know what's happening anymore. His eyes are covered with black cloth and there's something in his mouth so he can't scream for his mum. There are tears streaming down his face which he tries to wipe away, because "big boys don't cry," as his dad has told him. He's moving, he at least knows that, and he wants to leave, and he could if only his eyes weren't covered. He knows that's one of his powers, he figured that out when he thought about being at home instead of school.

He tries that now, thinking of being at home in his bed, but he can't see and therefore can't use his power to his full ability. He cries harder and can feel the fabric over his eyes get wet as he does. Suddenly there is light shining into the few holes in the blindfold, and then there are hands gripping his arms, and pulling him out of the car. He tries to throw them off, but he's too small and he's too scared to do anything but twist a bit in the heavy grip.

"What are doing with him?" The voice of a stranger asks. Louis tries to say help, and doesn't know why this stranger is just letting him stay all tied up and gagged.

"H-He's too powerful. I'm worried he'll hurt someone, he already almost destroyed his sister, I-I didn't have a choice." Another voice says, from behind him. It sounds familiar, and Louis starts to cry again. He just wants to go home to his mum.

"You sure you want to do this?" The first voice asks. There's no reply, but then Louis is being handed to someone new. Louis tries to scream again, thrashing and kicking, but then suddenly there are four different sets of hands in him and holding him down and dragging him somewhere. He starts to cry again and doesn't know what to do anymore.

He never sees his home again.

-+-+-

The first thought Harry remembers isn't his own.

He remembers sitting on the floor of his living room, his toys in front of him as he makes the cars crash together. Being three was a simpler time, the toys the only care he had. Then suddenly he hears his sister's voice.

_I hope mummy doesn't find out._

He looks up and sees his sister has just come in the room, sitting on the couch, biting at her nails. He gives her a curious look, wondering why she would say something like that out loud. He doesn't know what she's talking about.

"Find out what?" He asks her, and her eyes go wide and Harry is a little scared. He doesn't know why she's looking at him like he has an extra arm. Or maybe he does have an extra arm. That'd be pretty cool. But he checks and, no, he only has two arms. He pouts.

"Nothing! What are you talking about?!" His sister says, panicked. He shrugs and goes back to playing. It's not until later that he realises he had heard her thoughts.

-+-+-

Liam planned on enrolling at London’s University for the Exceptionally Gifted Mutants since he was five years old. His powers hadn’t shown yet, but having two superhero parents basically guaranteed he would get something awesome. His parents home schooled him all throughout his life, in case his powers were dangerous and showed up in a school setting. He always felt somewhat above the other kids his age, who could only hope they would end up with powers. He knew he would get his.

The power showed up when he was around ten years old, and he was asked to help his mother mom a cabinet. He simply picked it up and moved it across the room without any struggle. His mother stared at him, and he smiled widely. “I have super strength!” He exclaimed, laughing, and his mother just sighed.

So when he’s finally old enough to go to University, his mother has to give him up so he can be trained in honing his skill and using it to it’s maximum potential. She’s terrified for him, but he has no worries. His parents are the most famous superheroes around, he shouldn’t have any trouble making friends.

-+-+-

Niall's first experience with his powers is not as cool as it could've been. He could've accidently killed his mum, given himself a nice tragic backstory. He could've roasted a chicken and provided for himself and his family for a week. He could've turned the lights on without even touching the switch.

Of course, this isn't a movie. He didn't get a cool introduction to his powers. He was walking home through the woods with his friends, when one of them gasped and the rest looked, and his best mate at the time, Mark, said “Niall, mate, you're glowing." He looked down, and apparently he was. He smiled and kept walking, turning off his flashlight.

So while his first time was not very special, he learns later that his powers were possibly the coolest things ever. He can charge his phone with his finger, he can even turn his lights on and off without getting out of bed. He can cook dinner with little-to-no fire. It's a good life.

Of course, there’s the occasional electrocution accident, but it doesn’t happen as often anymore. The most recent accident he had involved shaking hands with his best mate’s friend, and electrocuting them minorly. He passed out, but there wasn’t any permanent damage. However, his best mate had informed him that he need to get his shit under control. Niall took it to heart, and that’s how he ended up enrolling at London’s University for the Exceptionally Gifted Mutants.

-+-+-

When Zayn gets premonitions, they're usually very small and unimportant. Something about how well one of them will do on a test, or even if two people will get together. Normal high school gossip that Zayn just happens to know before it happens.

He knew Harry was going to ace his maths final, and he knew Barbara was going to ask Niall out. He knew that his mum was pregnant, and he knew that Liam's powers would be coming before they did.

Every once and a while, however, they come to him and it's more like a prophecy, or it just seems more significant in Zayn's mind. He'll see it highlighted and bold at the forefront of all the other things he is working through in his brain. None, though, have ever been quite like this.

He's doing his English homework when an unexplainable feeling of dread washes over him, consuming him and making him it makes him drop his head, and when he does his eyes close, forcing words to appear behind them, loud and bright colored.

**A POWER LIKE NO OTHER WILL BE HELD IN THE SCHOOL.**

**THE POWER WILL MEET ITS MATCH.**

**THE POWER WILL CHANGE FOREVER.**

And then it's gone, and with it goes the feeling of dread. Zayn quickly writes the words down on the post-it note pad he has next to him. He texts it to Harry, explaining what happened, and then goes back to studying English.


	2. The During I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet our heroes. Louis tries to understand himself more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the first real chapter! I'm really excited for all of you to read it. I'm going to try and keep the updates somewhat weekly. The whole fic will probably be over 100k. 
> 
> Also, anything in italics are thoughts that Harry can hear because he can read minds. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: None of this is real. I made all this up, and though the characters are based on real life people they do not reflect those peoples opinions and/or actions.

Harry always finds the first day of term scary, whether it’s his freshman or senior year. Being it his senior year in university, he really should have gotten over his fears of not being liked, considering he has a secure group of friends that he’s going to be living with soon. It simply doesn’t make any sense for him to be nervous while he unpacks his bags. Maybe it’s just that he was the first one to arrive this morning, and Zayn isn’t set to show up for another two hours and neither is Liam. Niall of course didn’t tell them his plans whatsoever, so Harry hopes he shows up soon.

His nerves may also sprout from the premonition Zayn had gotten a week earlier. While Zayn reassured Harry it was nothing, Harry couldn’t help but be nervous. It had stuck a nerve within him and he doesn’t know why. It’s still bothering him, coming up in his thoughts almost everyday, and no amount of music could drown it out. He’s always found that interesting, he has no problem drowning out the thousands of thoughts coming from other people that bombard him every day, but when it comes to clearing his own mind, he’s pretty shit at it.

His stomach lets out a loud growl, breaking him out of his thoughts and alerting him that he may need some nourishment. He sighs and decides after traveling all morning and unpacking his bags for an hour, he deserves some sort of break. He leaves a note for whoever gets there next on the kitchen counter, plugs in his headphones, and heads towards the cafeteria.

Other people's thoughts of nervousness flood his head as soon as he enters the loud room, and he drowns it out as much as possible, although it's harder with nothing to focus on. He joins the short line for deli sandwiches and once he gets his food, he goes and sits by himself.

The worst thoughts he hears are the ones judging himself, but he luckily doesn't hear many. All of a sudden, all the thoughts and different voices in his head focus in on one point.

_What's that?_

_Oh my god, what's going on?_

_Who's that by the door?_

Harry turns his attention to the door at the back of the cafeteria and sees a boy, who couldn't be much younger than him, being led in by two guards on either side. He's adorned in all orange, and has cuffs around his wrists and ankles. But possible the most dominant thing he adorns is a large black muzzle, that covers half of his face and leaves only his eyes visible. As he gets closer and closer, Harry is able to hear him.

_Everyone is staring. Was it necessary to bring me through the cafeteria? I'm going to get enough attention as it is. The fucking muzzle is kind of hindering._

His nervous thoughts throw Harry off, as his eyes seem very hard and are sure to never meet anyone's eyes. Harry jumps out of his seat, noticing the cafeteria has gone quiet looking at the boy, and runs in front of him and his guards.

He gets odd looks from everyone who notices him, and the guards especially look down on him.

"You don't wanna get too close, kid." One guard warns, but Harry can still hear the boy's thoughts as he stares him dead on.

_So people are literally jumping to ridicule me. Lovely._

Harry smiles at the guard and then at the boy. "I'm Harry. I can read minds." He introduces. He always feels the need to let people be aware of the fact that he's able to delve through their minds. The boy's eyes stare at him, like he's contemplating something. His eyes are a bright blue that Harry can feel resonating in his soul, and he can tell they are guarding a lot.

_So you heard that?_

"Yea, because I'm focusing on your thoughts now."

_Why would you do that?_

"You seemed nervous?" Harry replies simply. The boy's eyes are still boring into his.

_Well I'm not._

"Oh. Sorry."

He gets stares and a very blank mind in return. He's never met someone who could clear their mind so perfectly that Harry couldn't find anything within it.

"So I'll just go then?"

_Might as well._

"I didn't get your name?" One of the guards then yanks the boy harshly to one side. He's sick of this 'little brat' Harry hears, and he just rolls his eyes. The boy goes willingly, but turns his head once to look at Harry.

_Louis._

  
\----

The next day, after everyone has moved in, Harry sits down and tells the boys about his strange encounter with the muzzled boy, Louis.

"You didn't know about that?" Liam exclaims first. The other boys stare at him like he has three heads. "It's only the biggest thing in superhero news this summer!" Again he only receives stares, and Harry is even more confused. What could Liam possibly now that he doesn’t? It doesn’t make any sense to him.

“No, none of us knew about anyone coming to this school that needed a fucking muzzle!” Niall says, looking at Liam like it’s obvious. Liam sighs. Niall starts glowing like he always does when his emotions run somewhat haywire, and Zayn is just staring at him.

“Right, okay. I always forget you guys don’t live with superheroes or anything. His name is Louis Tomlinson, and he’s been in jail or someplace like it since he was six. No one knows what his powers are, but the story is that he’s one of the most powerful people to ever walk the planet. But when he was younger his parents found him using it to do...not such good things. His dad was terrified and he gave him over to the police so that they could keep him and other people safe.” Liam explains. They’re all watching raptly now, as it’s pretty interesting. “But this summer, all that was in the news was about how he’s finally being let out, and coming to school to learn to better control his powers.”

“Obviously he’s not really being let out. He’s in shackles and a muzzle!” Harry exclaims, and the other boys stare at him. “What? Don’t you think they should give him a chance?”

“Harry, don’t you get it, he’s dangerous.” Liam tries to convince him.

“He only seemed scared when I heard him.” Harry defends. He doesn’t even know why he’s defending Louis. He knows nothing about him, but he definitely didn’t seem happy, and Harry doesn’t like it when other people aren’t happy. But Louis also didn’t seem very dangerous to Harry, and he can tell these things pretty quickly.

“You know nothing about him, Harry. I wouldn’t go befriending him either, who knows what he’ll do.” Liam advises. Niall and Zayn are now having their own conversation, and Harry is getting frustrated him Liam. He knows he doesn’t know Louis well...but he thinks he wants to. It’s weird, but the boy is intriguing. He wants to know what his power is, why he’s considered so dangerous and feared by so many people.

“I’ll do what I want Liam.” Harry says, and Liam rolls his eyes. Then Zayn speaks up.

“What if he’s the ‘power’ in my premonition?” He asks, and Harry perks up.

“It’s possible, but then who’s his match? There’s no one near powerful enough to match him.” Liam states.

“We don’t even know what his power is.” Niall points out, “Or his class.”

“I’m gonna try and talk to him more.” Harry decides, and they all look at him like he’s a lunatic. He just stares back. “Everyone needs a friend!” Liam just shakes his head.

“Just don’t get yourself killed.”

\----

Harry’s first class of the day is all about relaxation. It’s basically yoga, and how relaxing yourself allows you to use your powers more efficiently, and with more results. Harry may not need to take it, because his powers don’t ever stop working, but sometimes he can do more with them afterwards. He can never see images in peoples minds unless it’s right after that class, so he guesses it works a little bit.

He sits down on his mat at the front of the classroom, blocking out everyone’s thoughts from his minds. He hates hearing things he isn’t meant to, because he always feels like he’s invading on someone. He doesn’t know many people in this class anyway, so he would just be hearing things he doesn’t necessarily care about. He sits with his legs crossed and clears his whole head.

The gasps in the room are the only thing that knock him of his reverie. He turns his head to the door, and there’s Louis. He isn’t wearing orange anymore, but the shackles and muzzle are still on him, and he stares dead ahead, not looking at anyone in the room. There’s only one guard beside him this time, and Harry tries to catch his attention but he can’t. Louis walks right past him, and Harry tunes in.

_Relaxation. They must think I’m crazy._

Harry immediately tunes out, looking straight ahead and trying not to think about what he heard. He lets the thoughts of all the other people in the room take over his mind. He dares one look behind him, to see where Louis is sitting, and Louis is staring him, eyes boring into his.

Harry looks straight ahead then, trying to get his breathing in order as the professor, an empath, enters the room. He immediately calms the entire room down with a sweep of his hand, and Harry feels incredibly at ease. He tunes out everyone’s thoughts except his own. The whole class holds the positions perfectly, and Harry is able to calm himself to the point where he thinks he could even put his thoughts into someone else’s mind. It’s the best feeling, to feel like not only his body but his mind is loose on every level that he could do anything. After the professor leaves, he takes his time breathing and putting away his mat. He attempts to commit all the new poses to memory, when he feels a hand on his shoulder. He turns to look at who it is, and sees it’s Louis, before he’s suddenly not in the classroom anymore.

He's in the same position he's in, with Louis still next to him, but he’s looking at the ocean. He looks at Louis’ face, and the muzzle is off and he’s grinning like a madman. Harry shimmies backwards, away from him.

“God! I haven’t been able to do that in years!” Louis laughs loudly, a wide grin spreading across his face. Harry wonders why anybody would muzzle that smile, that laugh. Wonders why he's considered so dangerou when he simply seems like a child to him.

“W-Where are we?” Harry asks timidly. Louis looks back at him, like he’s just noticing him for the first time. His face becomes cold again, grin and laughter gone.

“Oh, shit. Forgot about that piece though.” Louis turns away Harry and sits down, running sand through his hands. Harry gets up on his own, staring at Louis' back. He pushes his brain out to try and figure out where they are. He gets nothing but silence.

“Where are we?” Harry asks again, and Louis gives him a strange look before looking around.

“A beach.” He answers. “We are on a beach."

“Why are we here?” Harry asks.

“Because I wanted to be.” Louis is cold, and doesn't seem to want to talk. But Harry is stranded with the apparently most powerful person to ever have walked the earth. He's not going to sit back and take it.

“Care to explain?” Harry asks. Louis looks right at him.

“You don’t know my powers?"

“Nobody does.” Harry replies with a shrug. Louis shows the first sign of emotion since his outburst when they first arrived on the beach, confusion.

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. We just don’t.” Harry shrugs. “Are you going to, um, hurt me?”

“No." Louis is cold again, with no emotion, turning away from Harry and facing the water.

“I didn't mean to offend you." Harry says.

“It's expected."

"This is the first time I've seen you without a muzzle on, as well."

“You have a point." Louis says, still just as cod and tense. _My powers don't even have anything to do with my mouth. The muzzle is for intimidation. As if people aren't scared enough._  His hands run through the sand.

There’s a distinct pause in conversation. Louis is looking out at the sea with a solemn look on his face and Harry is looking at Louis. He tries to catalog the curve of his lips and the edges of his cheekbones, so that he doesn’t forget them.

“Should, should we go back?” Harry asks. Louis sighs again, sitting back and looking up at the sky, leaning on his hands.

“I guess so. You might be in trouble. The muzzle will go back on." The last sentence is whispered, like Louis is worried about something. His mind is unnervingly blank.

“I can read your mind. It doesn’t matter if you can’t talk.” Harry says, hoping he's reading the situation correctly. Hoping that Louis is interested in talking again.

_Can you hear this?_

“I can always hear your thoughts if I want to. But I usually tune out when I’m having a genuine conversation. Too focused on other things.” Harry explains. Louis nods.

_Well pay attention now._

He stands up, and reaches out for Harry’s hand. Harry takes it slowly, still listening closely to Louis’ thoughts. It’s a very prominent thought.

_I wish I was back at school._

There’s a loud whoosh in Harry’s ears, and suddenly they’re in front of the school building. It seems like no one has noticed that they just dropped in, and the people pass around them quickly unless they notice who Louis is. Harry drops his hand quickly.

“How do you do that?” He asks, looking at Louis closely.

“Magic.” He whispers.

\----

When the guards find Louis again, the immediately put a muzzle back on him and shackle him up again. Harry hadn’t even noticed the shackles were off until they did that, and he looks on with pity and Louis just goes with it. They didn’t spend much time together on the beach, but even from the short amount of time Harry knows Louis isn’t who everyone says he is. He knows there’s something more to him than his powers.

Harry chases after him, finding which dorm is his, but the guards follow Louis in and the door closes in Harry’s face. He sighs and looks around the building, looking for any signs of Louis or where he would be. He finds nothing, and quietly heads back to his flat.

  
Harry was only two words into his story about the beach when Liam stands up and screams at him. “He WHAT?” Liam explodes. “You WHAT?”

“I don’t know ‘what’ Liam! He just touched me and suddenly we were on a beach! That’s it!” Harry says, rolling his eyes.

“You were on the beach for how long?” Liam asks. Niall and Zayn are yet again just staring at them. Niall starts glowing again.

“Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes.” Harry replies, exasperated. He tries to not get too mad at Liam, because from his thoughts Harry knows Liam is just looking out for him. But Harry is just upset because Liam thinks he knows more than he does.

“He could’ve killed you!” Liam says loudly.

“But he didn’t!” Harry yells.

“Maybe he has mind control! No one fucking knows his powers and you’re being so irresponsible I can’t believe this.” Liam holds his forehead and then crosses the room towards Harry. “You won’t ever go near him again.” He warns, getting in Harry’s face. Harry listens to his head instead.

 _God I can’t believe him._  
I’m not going to hurt him but I really need to punch something.  
Or get my point across.  
Or both.

Harry is reassured by his thoughts but is still slightly scared. Liam turns around and punches the wall, leaving a large hole in the wall. Zayn is suddenly standing up, arms in front of him, and an overwhelming sense of calm washes over them.

“Now I know that Liam is scared of this Louis kid.” Zayn starts. “But we aren’t about to get into fist fights over it.”

“I’m not fucking scared of him Zayn.” Liam mutters. Niall starts to laugh.

“That’s exactly what you are. If you weren’t worried that you can’t take ‘im, you wouldn’t care if Hazza spent all his time with ‘im.” Niall states. Liam grunts.

“I can probably take him. He can only like, teleport.”

“Only.” Harry scoffs.

“And we don’t even know if that’s the limit of his power.” Zayn mentions. “But that’s besides the point. Harry can befriend the psychopath if he wants, but that’s up to him, not us.” Zayn says to Liam.

“I swear he’s not a psychopath! He seemed almost, vulnerable when we were on the beach.”

“Doesn’t matter what you say, mate, Liam is gonna think he’s a psycho.” Niall says. Liam sighs and leaves the room.

“I’m gonna go grab something for dinner.” Harry grumbles, frustrated with Liam. Louis isn’t a psychopath, not anywhere near it. He knows this for a fact, because even if he’s not the best when it comes to street smarts, he can read people’s minds. He heard Louis’ intentions from the minute they were alone together and none of them were bad. He doesn’t understand why Liam wouldn’t trust him on that.

“I’ll join ya mate!” Niall says, standing up and grabbing his wallet.

  
\----

  
Louis’ dorm room is less of a dorm room as it is a prison cell. Louis would know.

It’s only about ten feet by ten feet, and the walls and floor are padded. There are no windows, a desk and a bed, and one door that’s bolted shut from the outside. It’s only opened when he has classes, and it’s constantly guarded by the two guards in charge of keeping him in line. Other than that he’s doomed to sit in the middle of this room, a lone lamp hanging from the ceiling, and work on any coursework he has. Except for that most of those things require him to practice his powers, which this room won’t allow him to do. Being alone with his thoughts usually is the best way for him to use his powers, but the walls are made out of some type of kryptonite for him, and he can’t use any of his powers when confined to his room.

The trip to the beach with Harry had been on accident. He hadn’t even considered trying to teleport, he was so out of practice, but during meditation he had been thinking of his “happy place” which happens to be on a quiet beach on the coast of France. When he went up to Harry to ask if they could talk, he was still thinking of that, and being so relaxed after the meditation and yoga, they teleported.

Louis could see Harry was scared of him, thought he was going to do something to him. He’s been afraid of that happening since he was allowed to see other people. But yet, Harry also seemed to grow more comfortable with him as they spent time together. Louis can't stop thinking about it, about how he wants to spend more time with Harry even though he knows he shouldn't. All his time is spent alone, and all he thinks about is the people he's hurt. He doesn't remember it, but he knows it happened. He knows he can't trust himself because he doesn't even know the full extent of his powers.

He focuses on practicing the yoga poses and meditating the way that he did in class today. He wants to clear his head and focus on his memories. Maybe he'll remember something. Maybe he'll understand why he's here.

He hears a yelp and he opens his eyes to see Harry sitting next to him. They're alarmingly close to each other. Louis immediately clears his head of all thoughts and turns away from him. He's faced with a blond boy staring at him with food halfway to his mouth.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asks.

"I don't know." He answers honestly. He maintains his breathing evenly and forces his mind to be clear.

"You must be Louis." The blond says. A skeptical look on his face. He's making eyes at Harry.

"Will you shut up." Harry says, directed at the blond. He just smirks. Louis assumes Niall had been saying something in his head.

"I'm Niall." The blond introduces, and sticks his hand out. Louis shakes it and doesn't comment on the slight shock he receives as he doesn't know who it's come from.

"You don't look half as intimidating as Liam's been makin' ya out to be." Niall states, and Louis just stares. So Harry does know that he's a threat. This Liam guy or whoever probably knows about his history and everything he's known for, and has told Harry. But if he knew before the beach incident, then at least he still seemed friendly then. Although, he had already assumed that. He also doesn't know why he cares if Harry thinks he's dangerous or not.

"Oh, um. Yea."

"I've been telling them that you aren't as dangerous as they make you out to be, but Niall seems to be the only one who believes me." Harry explains, eating a French fry.

"Right. I don't even know how powerful I am, so your friend might be right." Louis shrugs. Harry frowns at him.

"You don't even know your full powers?"

"No. I'm in the mental class though. That's all I was told when I was younger." Louis explains, recalling the day he was placed in a room and told to use his powers. He closed his eyes and thought about ice cream, and suddenly there was some in his hand. After that they moved his cell, and he was classified as a "mental" class criminal. There were many different classes to sort the powers people had, but mental and physical were the most common. He says knowing that it won't reveal too much about him. Maybe they'll assume he has mind control and that he forced people to do horrific things. Maybe that's what he did.

"I'm in the mental class too. We'll probably have a bunch of classes together, then." Harry smiles. Niall nods.

"With Zayn as well. Maybe that'll tell us more about you." Niall nods towards Louis. Louis gives Harry a confused glance.

"Zayn is super intuitive, and occasionally he gets premonitions. He got one before school started that we think is about you," Harry explains. "And it's easier for him to see things about you if he knows you better."

"What was the premonition about me?" Louis asks, but as Harry moves to answer, there's a loud clash as the doors of the cafeteria bang open and Louis' guards burst through. They head straight for him and he starts breathing heavily. Harry looks just as scared as him, and grabs his hand for reassurance. Louis rips his hand away and moves to stand up, but Harry pulls him back down. Louis stares at him in shock.

 _Don't worry._ Harry's voice says in his head.

"You stupid bitch. Put the muzzle back on, you're coming with us." One of them says. Louis stares at the muzzle on the table and can't make his hands move to put it back on. One of the guards grabs his hair and rips it back. "I SAID-" he yells, but then Harry stands up and pushes him off.

"Don't touch him." Harry growls. Louis looks up at this point, and everyone is staring at them. The guard smirks at Harry and with a flick of his wrist, throws him backwards. Harry groans from the ground, but looks up and them straight at Niall. Niall motions for Louis to get under the table and move away, and then he stands up and goes to the other guard. Louis watches as Niall touches his neck once and the guard drops, and when the first one that Harry had been fighting turns to see what happened, Harry jumps on him, grabbing his hand and forcing something through his mind that makes him shout. The guard musters up strength however, and throws Harry off him again.

"Why are you fucking protecting him? He's dangerous! He's a piece of shit kid who couldn't control his powers, and he's not going to be friends with you, or like you-" the guard is shouting as Harry cowers and backs up away from him. "He's a faggot did you know? Probably just wants to make a move on you! Why are you fighting me when you know that he belongs in a cell!" The guard growls, and gets close enough that Harry can kick his foot up and hit him in the balls.

"I happen to be a "faggot" too, so you can kindly fuck off." Harry says, then takes a few deep breaths before going to see if Louis is okay from where he's hiding under the table. Harry crawls over to him and touches his face. "Are you okay?" It's barely a whisper, but the cafeteria has fallen as silent as a graveyard, so it sounds so loud. Louis stares into his eyes before grabbing his hand.

He's not okay. He's never been okay. He hasn't seen his family since he was six years old. He doesn't know who put him in jail or why. Ever since he was six he's been mistreated because he "deserved" it. But he's looking at Harry now, who seems to understand, to see past what he's been told by everyone else. He's here with Harry who can read his mind but does his best not to. He's with Harry with the curly hair and the green eyes and a brilliant smile. He smiles slightly.

_I think I am now._

\----

The police come to the scene of the fight. Everyone is questioned except for Louis. Harry watches as the police force him back into the muzzle and then attempt kick him into a police car, handcuffed and shackled again. Harry wants to stop them, but looking at the way the officer is approaching him, he's already in deep trouble.

_Punk ass kids not knowing what's right and wrong. Why do I always get stuck with these calls?_

The officer approaches and asks him standard questions, his name, age, and class. The officer writes it down before looking him up in his previous notes. Then he turns a sharp eye on him.

 _Might actually get to arrest one of 'em. Nice._ The officer smirks and Harry snarls.

"Why did you attack the guard?" The officer asks.

"To protect my friend. The guard called him a 'stupid bitch' and pulled his hair." Harry responds curtly.

"And why did the guard do this?"

Harry groans internally, ready to punch someone else. "Why does that matter? He assaulted my friend."

"Your friend is one of the worlds most dangerous criminals. Are you about to be charged as his accomplice?"

"He doesn't even know what he's done, I can't expect you do. You're a basic street cop." Harry says.

"Is that what he's told you? Kid, we all know what he's done and so does he. He might not remember it clearly, but he certainly knows what was done. He lied to you, and yet you protect him." The officer scoffs and Harry pauses. If this guy claims this, it doesn't mean it's true, but it could be. He'll ask Louis about it later.

"I don't believe you." Harry says, standing strong in his beliefs. Another officer comes up and whispers in his ear.

 _Can't believe this little kid orchestrated such an attack. Shame, really._ The other officer thinks. The one questioning Harry rolls his eyes, then motions for Harry to turn around.

"Harry Styles, you are under arrest for being an accomplice to the escape of Louis Tomlinson, as well as assault in the first degree." His hands are handcuffed, and he doesn't struggle. He knows he would just cause a fuss, and he lets himself be loaded into the police car silently, watching as people take pictures from the blocked off police area. He won't betray Louis, and he knows these people won't trust anything he says that's good about Louis.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed. Please leave comments and kudos as I am lonely and need validation.


	3. The During II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Louis and Harry's arrest, things take a turn for the worse when one of the most notorious villains in the world returns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I'm so sorry this took so long. TBH I'm not super happy with this chapter, I like it but I don't love it, but i don't know how to make it better. I really really need a consistant beta to work on this fic with me. If you're interested, please contact me on tumblr! (huffleharry)
> 
> Also, just an FYI. I took inspiration from Harry Potter for some of the components of this universe. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: All of this is fake. none of it is real. go home if you think it is. They're SUPERHEROES for godsake.

Liam comes to bail Harry out of jail, but he doesn't do it happily.

"I told my mom the money was for gas for the month, so you'll be paying my gas this month." Liam says as they get back to the dorm. Harry nods. "Why would you do that? Why would you even try to keep him out of jail?" Liam asks. Harry remains silent.

"I don't know Liam. I don't think we know the truth about him."

"What the hell do you mean? He's been in jail since he was six years old."

"But even he doesn't know what it's for! And if nobody is telling us about it...how do we know they aren't all lying?" Harry reasons. Something about the things Louis has said bother him. He doesn't even know his full powers, how could he have hurt people? How could he have used his unknown powers for evil?

"Listen Harry, there's got to be a reason. There's no way they would throw a six year old in jail for no reason."

"Maybe he was framed, or they told a lie about him. Who knows. I just don't think he's evil or dangerous." Harry says. He's trying to get Liam to understand him. To understand what he sees in Louis.

"His dad is the one who put him in jail! Why would you put your own son in jail!?" Liam protests.

"I don't know. I don't. Okay, but something doesn't add up."

"Listen Harry, maybe you're right. That doesn't mean you can run around defending him and getting yourself into trouble." Liam reasons."You're damn lucky Niall got away and I didn't have to bail the both of you out. That wouldn't have happened you know. And know you're going to have to go to court and maybe even end up in jail. This isn't okay."

"Liam you aren't my father! I know what I did was stupid but you would've done the same thing if one of us was in trouble. Don't even deny it."

"But I've known you for four years. You've barely known him a week."

Harry stays silent for the rest of the ride. When they get back to the flat, he goes right to his room and closes the door. He knows Liam means well, and he's aware that he didn't do the smartest thing. But he doesn't regret his actions. He needed Louis to know he could be trusted. He wants to be on Louis' side, and get to the bottom of his odd situation. A convicted villain who has no knowledge of what he did, unaware even of his powers, it just doesn't make sense. Most villains would also try to intimidate anyone new they come across, especially if they were given the freedom to attend classes. While Louis is cold and cut off, he doesn't seem to want others to be afraid of him. He certainly told Harry he wouldn't hurt him. The situation doesn't add up.

When thinking becomes too much, Harry grabs his textbooks on mind-searching and reads the chapter he had for homework. It discusses how to expand his own mind in search of others. It's a skill that's taught to be used in missing persons cases, as well as finding escaped convicts or suspects on the run. If Harry learns to do it correctly, he could pinpoint an exact location to where the person is, or at least hear their thoughts about their surroundings. He doesn't have any true training in it yet, he's just been taught the theory behind it.

He falls asleep with the book on his chest, thinking about if he could locate Louis with his mind. Thinking about the consequences if he did.

**\-     +    -     +     -**

Harry wakes up to a pounding on his door.

"Harry. You need to wake up right the fuck now." Liam is shouting, and then he seems to run back down the hall. Harry jolts out of bed, considering Liam's shouting seemed urgent. He goes down the hall to see Niall, Zayn, and Liam both sitting on the couch staring at the TV. The news is on and it's obviously something serious.

"What's going on?" Harry asks, sitting down next to Liam.

"Just watch."

The news anchor starts on the story, with images of the city flashing next to his head. "Breaking News. The villain "Scorpion" is back. Thought to have gone into retirement fifteen years ago, he's made his return today in London. He terrorized a coffee shop, forcing the barista to choke out two customers. The other patrons were forced to freeze and look on as they died." The images flashing are stills of the coffee shop and the ambulances there after the attack. In pictures of the attack, Scorpion is standing at the front of the cafe, arms spread while he controls the minds of the thirty people inside. Harry watches on in horror as they show video of him then leaving, seeming to vanish into thin air. The anchor begins to speak again. "Police are saying they do not believe it is a coincidence that this attack happened the day after Louis Tomlinson escaped and attacked two of his guards at London's University for Gifted Mutants. While they do not believe Scorpion and Tomlinson are allies, they do believe there is some connection between the two, as the last time Scorpion disappeared was directly afer Tomlinson's imprisonment as a six year-old."

Liam gets up and turns off the TV as soon as the segment is over. "This is bad."

"They're trying to connect it to Louis? What the fuck!" Harry shouts.

"Harry. That's not the important thing here." Liam scolds. "Two people are dead, and that's what you're worried about? It being tied to your friend?"

"Sorry. It's obviously upsetting. I'm just saying that it's strange they are tying it to Louis when he hasn't done anything to hurt anybody." Harry tries to explain. "It just doesn't make sense for them to try and pin this on him for no reason."

"They aren't pinning it on him, they just think there might be a connection because their timelines match up. They aren't wrong in saying that. You need to get your head out of your ass and see the real issue here. Scorpion is back and he's dangerous." Liam says. "We need to do something."

"No, we definitely don't Liam. That's not our issue. They'll deal with this how it's meant to be dealt with. We don't need to play hero." Harry counters. He doesn't like the arguing that he and Liam are doing recently, but they are just on two different pages. "Especially after what happened yesterday, we need to lay low and keep out of trouble. You were the one who said that yesterday!"

"People are in danger and we have the powers to do something about it, why wouldn't we use it?"

"Because we aren't strong enough! We don't know how to use our powers to the best of their abilities yet, and even if we did we aren't superheroes! We happen to have powers sure, we're all a little special. But we aren't ready to go out and fight a villain. We aren't superheroes."

"You may not be, but I sure as hell am." Liam says, getting close to Harry now. "I was raised to help people when they're in need. If you want to sit back and do nothing than that's up to you, but I'm not sitting around and doing nothing while this goes on."

"I help people when they're in need! I did it yesterday Liam! You're the one who paid the price aren't you? You're the one who lectured me on the way home! But I'm not going out there against Scorpion when I can't even use my powers to best of their abilities." Harry starts getting mad, and he knows Liam is too. Liam always comes off condescending in these fights, and it's because of his parents. Being raised by superheroes in this world gives him an advantage, but usually he can put it to the side with his friends. As of now, Harry knows Liam is judging him for his lack of mutant parents. For his non-pure blood. There aren't many pure bloodlines in the first place, but Liam is a part of one. For some reason, this makes him look down on Harry in this situation. Because Harry isn't prepared to risk his life for the greater good, and isn't willing to go out and try their best even if they don't succeed. It's all crystal clear in his mind. Harry can hear every word of frustration and bias that Liam is thinking right now.

"Niall, Zayn, what do you think?" Liam asks. Harry delves into their head, searching for the true answers.

Zayn doesn't seem to be able to make up his mind. _It's the right thing to do, people are in need. But Harry's right that none of us are ready._

Niall however, seems to agree with Harry more. _Who gives? People get hurt and everything, but we don't need to deal with it. There are people for that._

Both of them just stare at the two. Liam's thoughts are still very loud about how Harry is wrong and doesn't seem to care about him or the future of the city. Harry gets angrier and angrier as Liam goes on in his head.

"Will you shut up!" He finally shouts, directed at Liam.

"I wasn't saying anything." Liam tries to pacify him.

"You know I can hear your thoughts. You know that. And you're thinking so fucking loud. You know what you're doing." Harry leaves after that, leaving the three boys staring at his back as he walks out of the apartment. He doesn't know where he's going, all he knows is he needs to get out of that environment.

**\-     +     -     +     -**

The only place he knows to go is the library. He finds a young adult novel about non-mutants falling in love. Of course, it's all very sad because they both have cancer. The star crossed lover trope is something Harry finds a guilty pleasure in, especially recently for some reason. He spends a lot of time in the library because of how quiet it is, and not just outside his heda. Most people stay far enough away from each other that he can't hear their thoughts, and even if he can it's all mundane, which means he doesn't feel the need to pay attention to it. He can truly clear his head and work his way through his own thoughts instead of everyone else's.

He thinks back to his arguments with Liam over the past few weeks. Every one of them involved Louis, and every one of them revolved around Liam thinking he knew what was better for him. Harry doesn't appreciate being babied or treated like he knows less that the other guys because he has no mutant blood. Niall doesn't have any either, but because his powers are physical he's still more respected. Being mental class and unpure makes him the lowest of the low in his friend group. While they always claim none of it matters, it always bleeds in when it comes to things like this. Liam especially has thoughts about those things more often than anyone else, due to his pure upbringing and his physical class. Harry just wants Liam to let him be, and let him prioritise what he feels needs it. Scorpion being back is Liam's only concern, but Harry wants to know his friend is okay. Who knows what is happening to Louis right now? The way they treated him before he escaped, it definitely will not get better after. And now with the Scorpion attack being pinned to him, nothing will get better. Harry doesn't even know if he'll be allowed to come back to school.

Actually, knowing the stigma surrounding Louis and the reluctance to let him out in the first place, Harry would place his bets on Louis not coming back to school. Harry wants Louis to come back, wants him to be able to strengthen and hone his powers. Wants him to be able to find out what those powers are. He knows that Louis isn't evil, and doesn't deserve to be grouped with killers like Scorpion. Louis had plenty of opportunity to hurt him, and he didn't. Harry knows, somehow he does, that Louis isn't evil. Maybe it comes from reading his mind, and seeing the fear and vulnerability there when it's on display. No matter the reason, Harry is sure in this conclusion. Louis is not a bad person.

The next question is: what does he do about it? He has no idea, but he's going to need his friends on his side to do it.

He leaves the book on the table and heads back out of the library and back to the flat.

**\-     +     -     +     -**

The only thing Louis can see is darkness. He can't hear anything and his nose picks up nothing. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know what happened. All he remembers is being handcuffed and then a needle in his arm. All he knows is that he knows nothing. He can't even think of anywhere to go, anyplace to transport to. His brain won't focus on one thing at a time, and all he can think of is how absent the world seems. The only thing registering is nothing, and all his senses seem to have been cut off.

Maybe he's dead.

With that thought a sudden peace comes over him. It isn't like he's never thought about it, killing himself to escape his living hell. It's always been a thought in the back of his head, but every time he went to do it something would stop him. Nothing specific really, just a feeling. Truly he's always chalked it up to fear, cowardice of the pain that comes with death, and facing the unknown world that comes afterwards. He's too scared to die. But now that it's happened, at someone else's hand, it seems like a good thing. There is some sort of peace in this nothingness, this total blank slate. Maybe he's stuck in the middle. Maybe he'll reach hell soon. Surely that won't be as calm, but for now he deal with the nothing.

He's ripped out of his scrambled thoughts as his eyes jerk open, the feel of cool metal against his back and the smell of smoke infiltrating the nothing. He tries to scream, but there's a gag in his mouth, so it's muffled. He soon registers the cloth cuffs trapping his hands and feet the the table he's on, and realizes he's only wearing underwear. He looks around to find himself in a metal room, with no windows or visible doors. His eyes start to tear up. He wants to go back to the nothing. He wants to go back to not feeling anything, not knowing the horror of being somewhere he doesn't know, probably being watched by people he doesn't know. It's awful. He starts to cry harder, shoulders shaking and nose clogging. He prays to whoever is out there that this ends quickly. That they don't poke or prod but just kill him. Maybe this is the table where he'll be injected.

A loud clang comes from behind him. He hears footsteps and suddenly there's a man standing in front of him. He doesn't recognise him, but the man pays him no mind, writing something on the clipboard in his hand. He tries to conceal his cries and toughen up, hoping the man will observe and then leave.

"You caused quite the struggle back at your school. Made a mess." The man says. "Can you believe it's been a week since then? I'm going to go with no, considering you were out cold the whole time."

A week? He was in the nothing for a week? He tries to wrap his head around it, but fails at being able to conceive any sort of timeframe in the darkness.

"Now, we aren't going to do anything to you. We just think you need to learn a lesson. So you'll be here for a little while, someone should come in with water once a day, just so you don't totally die." The man says, then undoes the cuffs around his arms and legs. "You won't be able to move for a few minutes, so you don't hurt me. I can't run that risk, you understand. But after that you'll have free reign of this room. Hope you like silver." The guy smirks and then walks out. Louis tries to move despite the man's warning, and fails. He feels trapped in his own body, in this room, in the world. He wants to return to the nothing.

He just wants to die.

**\-     +     -     +    -**

A week after the incident in the cafeteria, all charges are cleared of Harry and Niall. Liam tells them to blame it on Louis. Although Harry doesn't want him to get in anymore trouble, the guys convince him it's the only way to keep himself out of jail. And he wouldn't be any help to Louis in jail, so it seemed only logical.

The Scorpion hasn't returned since his initial attack, and Liam has spent most of his time trying to convince the other boys to try and find him. Luckily, all the guys side with Harry. Nothing has been in the news about the case other than that the police are investigating. They're also still relating it back to Louis, but say that now that he's in custody everything should stop.

Classes continue as normal. Harry focuses all his time on working on his mind-searching. He wants to find Louis, find his mind at least. Maybe give him some comfort that he's still out there and still cares. He knows Louis won't be returning to school and he doesn't even want to think about what he's going through right now, what they're doing to him. He hopes he's okay.

He's in his room meditating, trying to reach out and find Zayn in his class across campus, when something interrupts him. He opens his eyes to find Niall standing in his room, looking at him sadly.

"Why are you doing this?" Niall asks, not condescendingly, just like he's genuinely wondering. "I mean, I know you think Louis needs to be saved, or whatever, but why are you so focused on it?"

"I don't know. I just can't let him get tortured or whatever." Harry says, trying to gather his thoughts back after clearing his head of everything. "Niall, he just...you should've seen him on that beach. He acts cold because the only people he's ever known are the people in charge of his punishments. He needs somebody to show him other things, let him actually choose his own way."

"Look man, I obviously haven't known him for long. We barely got to talk in the cafeteria. But I trust you, so I'm gonna roll with it. The problem is, we don't know where he is. We have no idea where they've taken him. We need to focus on school, and maybe on Scorpion. We could be the next best team, considering there isn't one right now. But we all need to be on the same page, You need to talk to Liam." Niall says. "As much as I hate to admit it, Liam is kind of right. We should try and help as much as we can. And...you have the best chace of finding him. You've been working on that reaching stuff yeah?"

Harry nods, looking around at the books. Niall's thoughts reveal anxiety but truthfulness. He truly believes that they should try this. "I, maybe. Maybe I will."

Niall claps him on the back, "That's a lad! And think about it, maybe Louis is connected to this Scorpion case like everyones saying. Maybe this'll help you!"

Harry concedes, just as h hears frantic thoughts coming from Liam down the hall.

_I can't believe...how could this happen!? Here!?_

Harry runs down the hall to get to the boys, seeing them standing up and trying biting their nails.

"What happened?" Harry asks, Niall hot on his heels.

Liam sighs. "It happened again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please leave comments or kudos if you like it! (or if you're interested in being a beta and don't have a tumblr of something)


End file.
